April is also Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The U.S. Department of Transportation says in 2021 distracted driving killed over 35-hundred people around the state and the CHP issued nearly 56-thousand citations. And using the phone and texting remain the most common distractions. The Highway Patrol says when you look down at your cell phone it takes your eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. And, Speaking on KNCO’s “On the Town” recently, Lieutenant Commander Noah Hawkins, with the Grass Valley Office, said it’s also important to maintain what he calls a “high visual horizon”…

click to listen to Lt Commander Hawkins

Distractions also include eating and drinking, grooming, talking to passengers, fiddling with the radio or a navigation system, and doing makeup…

click to listen to Lt Commander Hawkins

The CHP encourages drivers to ask a passenger to answer their calls or texts. And if you don’t have anyone else inside the vehicle, pull over somewhere safe to use your phone.